Slayers: HOURGLASS
by Ice Queen 333
Summary: Takes place during Slayers NEXT-Xellos has joined the fray, and with him come the answers Lina has been looking for. But the truth of what happened in Vrupur is not for the faint of heart...
1. Chapter 1

Greetings dear friends, fellow fans, and cookie monsters. I am your humble and gracious author frosty. Cliche name, no? But they are the easiest to remember. This is my first attempt at a Slayers fanfiction, and therefore please forgive any mistakes you may see that I have not. Spelling isn't my best subject, but most of the time I pass it, so I have corrected any mistake to the best of my ability. With that in mind, let's move on to the story itself. This will be taking place after the first season of Slayers NEXT, which means it is taking place after the whole Alfred and Seyruun event, but before the gang meets Auntie Aqua or Gaav. So, needless to say, Try and Revolution and their events will have no influence on this work_ as of yet_. Now, why have I decided on such a timeline you ask? Very simple, for this story I need the Chaos Dragon and the Hellmaster _alive_. I will be rewriting the ending of Next and then will continue on into Try and perhaps Revolution, considering of course I have enough support from the lovely ...^^

The reason why I created this fanfic is because, while I searched through the wilds of the Internet, I could barely find anything on the Dark Lords, The Gods, Ceipheid, or Shabranigdo. These are characters which I have become most interested in, particularly the two major gods, Shabranigdo and Ceipheid. I consider those two to have the most influence on the Slayers world, but you hardly ever hear about them. I wanted to know about them and their subordinates, during the War of the Monster's Fall, the relationship between them all, and of the events of the War of the Gods and the Monsters, which was the last time Ceipheid and Shabranigdo fought eachother in their own forms. Since I could find no story to satisfy me, I decided to make my own. This story will eventually show what I believed went on in the regime of the Dark Lord, his mind, and his eternal fight with Ceipheid. Now take note, I have never read, nor had access to, any of the novels or manga. If there is a contradiction in my writing conflicting with the manga, it is most likely because I did not know of it. This story is ANIME-verse only. Now if you have any tips or little known facts that would help me with this work, I would be most grateful.

Well, now that I've established the basic point, let's get on with the story!! I'll reveal a little bit more about my plan and the characters with each chapter, but until then, enjoy!

This story is currently rated "T", but be expected to change.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Slayers, and I am not making profit from this in any way. This is merely for fun.

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_**Chapter One: A Whisper on the Wind**_

The air had been calm as spring had slowly made its descent into the mountain range. The last traces of snow only visible at the peaks of the great pillars of earth, now mostly obstructed by thick, puffy clouds. The sun shone bright as ever, giving life to the awakening vegetation and the animal's coming out of a winter wind had given up her fury for the day, resigning only to the occasional breeze across the valley below the mountains, a bright green stretch of land just outside the lovely little town of Vrupur. A mountain town just like hundreds of others, with small farmers, cattle herders, smithys, and an occasional mercenary. The town wasn't large enough for it to merit a sorcerer's guild, but it did have a local wild bunch that liked to think of themselves as Robin Hoods, only instead of giving to the needy, giving to themselves. However their ruckus came and went, just as with all things in the town of Vrupur. All in all, the little mountain village was nothing special; the only perk it had was its lush, green valley.

That was five minutes ago, anyway.

The loud whoosing sound, coupled with the ground shaking so hard the mountains trembled, and of course, the dazzling light display that a mushroom cloud creates, might have altered the 'normal' processes of life just a people in the town had no idea what was in store for them, though citizens of the Kingdoms of Seyruun and/or Zelphia could have given them a hint, had any been present. Battlecries and yells of pain were still a fair distance away, but the wind carried them closer to the ears of the Vrupurn residents. Some villagers looked up in worry or concern, others gathered together and spoke in harsh whispers amongst eachother, but most kept on about their business, though their steps was noticably quicker and jerky.

It had been a hell of a week for this once 'normal' town already;what came next would just be the cherry on top.

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**"FIRE BALL!!!!"**

The birds, squirrels, and any other animal that was unfornunate to be alive and in the woods that day, ran in circles to and fro to escape the evil beast that had arrived only this morning into their home. The ground rumbled as an unnatural force swept through it from somewhere cries and pleadings of grown men followed the minature atomic bomb, along with more explosions, then more begging, and so on and so source of all the fuss could be found about forty feet away from where some chipmunks were hiding in an oak there, standing in a newly created-_and still sizzling_-clearing, was a girl.

What? Expecting some kind of monster?

Yes, only a young girl stood in the clearing. A young, red-haired girl, dressed in an ornate magenta outfit with several jewels and belts adorning it. A long, black cape with metal shoulder pads completed the look of this young sorceress, who strived for attention-gaining garments to make up for what her natural physique lacked.

And boy, was it lacking.

The eighteen year old-_who didn't look a day over thriteen, if you know what I mean_-huffed as she stared with crimson eyes at the sobbing and semi-comatose highway thieves lodged into two seperate trees in front of her. The one still awake and crying had all of his rear end smooshed inside the trunk of a weepier-looking weeping willow. His friend who had been the unluckier-_or perhaps the luckier, if you think about it_- of the two was getting very well acquainted with the bosom of the maple tree his head was stuck in and was quickly losing air.

The still conscious bandit-_for now,anyway_-kept up his crying and whining to be released, to be shown mercy, to be allowed to live, and all that. It started to sound all like, _**"PLEASEPLEAEPLEASEWAAHHAHHPLEEAASSEEE!!!"**_ after a while. A rather large vein appeared on the girl's temple as the thief repeated the mantra for the 45th time in five minutes-_why she kept track of them, we shan't ever know_-and began to grow steadily until finally....

"SHUT UP ALREADY!!"

The man went silent, the wind stopped blowing, and even the earth stopped turning....Then the man began to cry harder.

"Ugh",the young women slapped her hand to her face in exasperation. Perhaps she should try talking to the other one? A quick glance told her he was in dreamland on a honeymoon with the maple tree and she sighed. No choice. "Look pal, I don't know where you get off trying to rob the most beautiful, intelligent, and extraordinary sorceress Lina Inverse, but breaking down crying in the middle of the woods for it? Geez, don't you bandits have any pride at all, or have I finally scared it out of all ya?" she asked with both hands on her hips, looking down at the sniffling highway robber.

"I-I-I s-swear I didn't know i-it w-was you!", the man stuttered, "We were just so desperate to get away from here, w-we w-would have tried to rob an armored guard!",the man took a deep breath to calm what little nerves he had left. Lina raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Why would you try to run away from a town with no sorcerers, no military, and hardly any defense aside from some irate farmers with pitchforks? Vrupur is known for being full of saps who practically just let their money be taken from them by anybody. It's a bandit dream come true and you want to run away? Sure, right." Her disbelief was on her face as well as in her tone. It was emphasized by the glowing ball of fire appearing in her left hand.

The bandit's eyes widened to such an extent that they looked about ready to pop out of his skull. "It's the truth! My boss and fellow highwaymen were butchered there just a few days ago!! Some foreigner, from over the mountains, had come into town that day and killed them!!", the robber began sobbing again and Lina frowned, the magic in her hand going out like a dying flame.

"Che, yeah right! You're just saying that so I won't turn you into a human torch again." Lina sneered slightly and contemplated doing exactly that when someone cleared their throat behind her. "What is it, Gourry?" the irate redhead didn't bother to turn around to face her companion who had finally decided to come out of hiding once all the comotion had settled down.

Gourry Gabriev was a man of few vices and even fewer brain cells. Standing well over six-foot tall with a body of an athlete, long golden hair, and the kindest blue eyes around, he was certainly a sight to behold. Though when he would open his mouth and ask what color the sky was, the novelty quickly wore off. He fiddled with his thumbs and looked at the red-head nervously before finding the balls to actually speak.

"I don't think he's lying, Lina." he said softly, so as not to encourage the young woman to turn her wrath on him more than need be. He winced when she turned her head sharply to glare at him.

"What?" she said, venom lacing her voice.

Gourry gulped, but continued on anyway. "I don't think he's lying. He dosen't have much of a reason to, at this point," he said gesturing to the thoroughly beaten and disgraced highway robber. "Besides that, have we ever, in all our travels, been attacked by just _two_ bandits?"

Lina frowned as she listened. She had originally thought something was up with that too, but had assumed that it was some kind of strategy to send the two first, then the rest of the bandits would try to ambush after. Well, they had been standing around for about ten minutes with no other robbers in sight, no sounds of swords being drawn, and no foul odor which came with a bandit's presence. Huh, maybe jellyfish had hit the nail on the head this time.

Lina glanced back at the highwayman who looked up at them with glistening and hopeful eyes. She sighed, "Fine. Get out of here before I change my mind." she grumbled, while Gourry beamed and gave the robber two thumbs up.

"Thank you, thank you, thank youthankyouthankyouthankyou....!!" the bandit sobbed as he, painfully, removed himself from the tree and kissed the ground at Lina's feet. Lina scowled outwardly, but inside she was rather pleased that someone was finally showing her the respect she deserved. Even though it was kinda forced......all well, groveling was groveling.

The robber pulled his still snoozing buddy from his own place of punishment-_also known as a tree_-and put him over one shoulder, while turning to begin his race 'Get The Hell Out Of Here', when Lina's voice stopped him.

"You said that a traveler took out the rest of your gang, right? Any idea who it was, like a rival gang member maybe?" Lina asked, partly out of curosity, and partly out of wanting to know if there was more trouble awaiting in Vrupur. Gang wars weren't uncommon, and they could get pretty nasty. If another gang had taken over the turf, then it made all the more sense for these last few bandits to want to get away as fast as possible. She blinked as the bandit's enitre body frame went rigid, and slowly turned his head to reveal a pale and clammy face with eyes haunted from memory of what must have been something truly horrific. The sheer terror in his eyes made even Lina a little edgy.

"It was a demon....it was a demon..." he whispered, his voice hoarse from the crying fit earlier. But there was something else in the tone, almost as if that phrase had become a mantra of sorts in the mind of the thief. Lina had opened her mouth to say something else, but the thief turned and trudged on as fast as he could while carrying his companion.

Lina opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally closing it for good. Gourry came to stand beside her as they both watched the two bandits disappear into the remains of the woods.

"Well...." Gourry began, knowing he had to say something meaningful, but then forgot it the second he spoke. Lina glanced up at him and scowled, kicking him in the shin as she turned and began walking to their original destination.

"OW! Lina! What was that for?!" Gourry asked as he hopped on one leg after her. He caught up to her, somehow, and slowly placed his sore leg down, wincing all the while.

"I can't believe I let you talk me out of giving that guy his lesson. I mean, do you have any idea what something like that can do to a gal's reputation? Now bandits everywhere are gonna think they can walk all over me so long as they have some sob story lined up and shed a few tears with it." Lina growled out, annoyed at everyone and everything without good reason. She huffed as she continued, noticing the tree line becoming thinner to reveal the valley one had to cross before they reached the town of Vrupur. Gourry looked towards the town and frowned slightly.

"Hey are you sure we should still go to Verpoo after what that guy said?" asked the swordsman as he looked down at the short red-head.

"It's _Vrupur_ and yes, I'm sure." Lina smiled despite herself_.'Verpoo? Hah'_, she chuckled mentally. As dumb as he was, Gourry could always make it cute. Frustrating sometimes, but cute.

"Oh right, sorry. Why are we going there?" Gourry blinked as he noticed the small smile on Lina's face disappear as she gritted her teeth.

"Because I need a _BREAK!!!" _she screeched, causing several birds to take their leave from the treetops."I need a breather for a while. After that mess with Alfred and those monsters in Seyruun, I decided I needed some vacation time. Zelgadis took off to who knows where _again_, and Amelia needs to stay in Seyruun for a little bit. Now as we know, it's only a matter of time before we either cross paths with Zel, or Miss Justice springs out of a bush somewhere. Until then, however, I plan to relax." she waved over in the general direction of the village,"That place is called Vrupur, as I have told you one million times since we left the palace. It's a nice town settled in the state of No where, which it is located right in the middle of." Lina spoke slowly and clearly, hoping against all the odds that this would be the last time she would have to repeat herself. Of course she knew better, but there was still hope."Nothing ever happens here, _most_ of the time," she said, bearing in mind the bandit's only-half-believable story,"So we shouldn't run into anything we can't handle, like more monsters." Lina sighed, recalling the affair with Kanzel and Mazenda. That was an event she would rather _not_ have repeated anytime soon.

"Sooo _why_ are we going there?" Gourry asked, Lina's pain and woes flying right over his head. As far as he knew, they had just been walking for the joy of walking, which to him, was becoming less joyful.

Lina gave him a suffering glance before growling in exasperation,"To stay in an Inn and eat so much good food that we can't move. Understand that?" she grinned as Gourry noticably brightened.

"Food?" he asked, all other words being dismissed as not important.

"That's right. And the last one to town is...." Lina suddenly took off like a bolt of lightning,"...the one who has to pay for it all!!" She yelled over her shoulder, laughing as she did.

Gourry stood there dumfounded for only a moment before his brain grasped the situation."Hey! Wait up Lina! You can't make me pay again!" he shouted as chased the destructive red-head into town.

0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o

About 20 miles northwest of the town of Vrupur, a lone figure stumbled, for the hundredth time that day it seemed, on tree roots. They cursed under their breath also, for the hundredth time that day. To any seasoned outdoorsman who happened to take a glance at the figure, it would quickly become apparent that the figure in question had no experience walking on such rough dirt roads or the bumpy forest floors.

The figure would readily agree.

The now muddy black boots, which seemed to snag every branch, leaf, or small twig in their path, were use to the cement of sidewalks and the asphalt of streets. The legs, which were clad in a black material too rough and strong to be the cotton regular travelers wore, trembled under the strain of having to walk for so long without rest. The black shirt was also of a strange material, one probably not ever seen and probably not ever made. Over all the black, the lone traveler wore an almost sheer, silver duster, which cuffed at the end of each sleeve and ended at the back of the figure's calfs.

The young traveler huffed, sweating even though it was a relatively cool day. They were just _so_ not use to this, walking for so long, or for being alone for so long. The curly hair framed the face, coming out of the now lose ponytail. Cold eyes stared through glass spectacles, almost like the ones you would see on aging scribes, but with much more narrow frames and a glass that gave no shine, even under the sun.

The figure stopped, breathing heavily as they leaned against the closest tree, uncaring about the pinch of the rough bark. Slowly, they took out a map from one of the odd-placed pockets in the front of the pants. Unfolding it, they looked it over for several moments. The map had been acquired in the last town they had stopped at, though the figure could not tell you whether the town was ten miles or a hundred feet away from where they stood. They had wanted to stay in the town longer than they had, to see if they could find _anyone_ who knew _anything,_ but......

Things happened.

On that note, the figure frowned and refolded the piece of aging parchment and put it away again. Standing straight and tall, they squinted as they stared into the distance, just barely being able to make out the cone-shaped mountains against the sky. The figure had no sense of direction about the place, but was almost certain that was not the same mountain range they had crossed before reaching the last town.

Giving a deep sigh, the figure kept on if for nothing more than the _sake_ of going on. What else could they do?

There was nothing else to do but go over the next mountain range, as the map said. They had gotten the map because of a rumor, a rumor that there was something over the mountains which could help them. The fact that, according to local gossip, this something didn't exist anymore didn't deter the figure.

The traveler just smirked bitterly;they would take their chances.

After all, they weren't supposed to exist here either.

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Thus, the work is done. Hopefully the first of many, but I leave that decision to you. Love it? Hate it? Don't care? PLLLEEEAAASSSEE tell me!!

Reviews make the heart grow fonder. ^^

With much love and adoration,

frosty


	2. Chapter 2

Greetings once more, my lovely people! Frosty is here again with the second installment of Hourglass! There's a reason for the name "hourglass" as I'm sure most of you have guessed. It wasn't a _completely_ random title;the significance of it only happened to hit me after I typed it in, is all. Lol, anyway, let's get on with the story!

Our heros have reached the town, but the welcome isn't exactly what they thought it would be. The residents are suspicious of everyone, and with very good reason. As curosity gets the better of Lina, they begin to ask around about this mysterious "traveler" that left such a mess behind. But they're not the only ones who want answers. Closed eyes with a trickster smile watches from behind every corner....

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Slayers and I am not making profit from this in any way. This is merely for fun.

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_**Chapter 2: The Stranger**_

The sun moved higher up in the sky, signaling to all that the noon was upon them. Mother's voices echoed for their children, calling them inside for lunch before it went cold. Male laughter rose from the fields on the other side of the village, as the farmers and laborers took a short break to quench their throats and stomachs. The bakery was in full swing as people closed down their vendors in the town square for lunch. Friends gathered to their normal tables in the tavern, conversing about the good weather so early in the season, how their wives were busy with spring cleaning, and about their childrens' rowdy natures. Everything was exactly as it was every other day, even down to the clothes the villagers were wearing. With predictablity came a sense of security, and the townspeople only ever wanted to return to normal again.

Too bad Fate didn't sympathize with them much.

Loud, feminine laughter came from the direction of the valley, along with screams of indignation from an unknown male. The tavern dwellers all turned their heads in unison with the bar's doors slammed open, revealing a young girl standing against the sun's rays. With a self-confident smirk, she slowly walked to the nearest table and sat down with ease. Stretching her muscles and giving a big yawn, she casually glanced about the bar and then turned her head toward the kitchen with a grin.

"Hey! Chef! Twenty orders of everything ya got! And step on it! I'm feeling _really_ hungry today!" the waiters stared in shock at the small red-head, but snapped to attention once a glare was sent their way from the aforementioned terror. Scrambling about, one waiter brought the violatile girl a jug of wine as a sort of peace offering until the enormous food order was all prepared. The rest of the waiters went back in the kitchen to help the poor-_and thoroughly overworked_-chef.

The rest of the bar still had its eyes on the new girl, as if expecting another head to sprout, or perhaps a foot. She wasn't from around Vrupur, that much everyone knew. Although its borders were undefined, the town wasn't big enough for there to be complete strangers living next door to eachother. Everybody knew everybody, and no one knew this girl. Whispers began, quietly in the back, but the same thing was on the entire tavern's mind: _Another traveler?_

As if on cue, the tavern's door bursted open again.

All heads swirled-_some even got whiplash_-towards the new arrival. A man with long hair slumped against the inside of the doorframe, huffing and puffing to reclaim some air into his lungs. Slowly, he raised his head and glared at the smirking red-head.

"That's not fair! You didn't give me enough time to start right!" the blonde whined as he walked over and fell into the chair opposite of Lina. The accused rolled her eyes and slapped the already exhausted man across the head.

"All's fair in food and war, Gourry. Haven't you learned that by now? Anyway, you lost, so _you_ pay." Lina nodded to herself, pleased with her judgment and took a gulp of the cherry red wine. Gourry simply sighed before snatching a jug of wine for himself. The waiters came out of the kitchen in pairs, large trays stacked with food inbetween them as they headed over to the duo's table, while the chef's sobbing came out of the flapping kitchen doors behind them.

"Allright!! This is what I call a meal! Hey, lay off Gourry! That's mine! Grrrr......" And so began a great war, like none the world had ever seen. Knives and forks moved faster than light through space, while chopped morsels and anything lucky enough to escape flew into the air. Growling, screeching, and belching echoed off the tavern's walls as the battle raged on.

The few tenants, that had been brave enough to stay even after the blonde man's arrival, now fled for their lives for fear of being mistaken for a piece of steak. The horror! The carnage! The townspeople quickly spread an alert, urging all citizens, especially small children and animals, to stay in their homes least the terrible two should take their feast to the streets. Back inside the tavern, the fight was still going strong.

The sorceress and swordsman continued in their struggle for the last of the beef jerky, completely oblivious to the world around them. The only remaining souls in the bar aside from them was the old bar-keep who was hiding behind the liquor rack, praying to Cephied that he might go home and see his wife and children again, and the other was a young man, hidden back further in the shadows.

He too had just recently come to Vrupur, only he was a little less.....attention-grabbing than the two he was observing. Or, at least _seemed_ to be observing. True, his head was positioned in their general direction and there was a smile on his lips, amused by the two's antics and the fear created by said antics. But it was his eyes....

They were shut tight, pulled upwards in a jolly expression. They hadn't opened once, even when the red-head and her companion first came in the door. If anyone had been looking at him at the time, they would have noticed that he hadn't been surprised by the abrupt intrusion at all. In fact, it was almost like he knew before hand....

The mysterious man leened forward, his priestly cape moving against the back of his seat as he folded his hands under his chin to take in the spectacle of Lina throttling Gourry. His smile widened all the more, causing some of his indigo hair to fall forward and frame his pretty face.

The time wasn't right, not yet. He couldn't pry just yet. After all, he wouldn't put it past Lina to try and gobble him up if he got too close during 'the feed', as he liked to call it. All well, there was plenty of time, no need to rush things.

He wasn't going anywhere and neither were they.

* * *

"Oh, boy....ugh" Lina sighed contentedly, rubbing her swollen belly and fiddling with a toothpick in her mouth. Gourry gave a groan as he leaned back, revealing at least 160 dirty plates stacked high on their small table. The waiters-_who had finally decided to brave the tavern once more_-stared until their eyes began to water at the sheer number of plates, and at the future of having to wash them all. Many started crying;one went screaming out the door.

Ignoring the despair around her, Lina flipped open the menu to see if there was anything she and Gourry had missed. The blonde, meanwhile, folded his hands across his now round stomach and was planning on taking a little snooze. After all, nothing beats taking a nice, long nap after several hot meals. He had just shut his eyes when Lina slammed the menu on the table and stood up.

"Wha...?" Gourry said intelligently, his brain already on sleep-mode. Lina grinned and pulled him up by the arm, then preceeded to drag him out the front door.

"We need to find an Inn, jellyfish-for-brains. I ain't sleeping in the tavern." The sorceress supreme explained over her shoulder, while scanning the area for a familiar sign of B&B._ 'Come on, the tour guide manuel said it was right....Aha!'_ Lina grinned triumphantly as she dragged her near-dead companion to the two-story brick building about two blocks away from the bar. The bell rung as she pushed the door open, tossing Gourry in first.

"Hello! Two rooms, please." Lina announced to no one in particular, sighing as she breathed in the scent of fresh linen and crisp, cool mountain air coming in from one of the many windows. Ah, she had made the right choice for a vacation spot. Frowning after receiving no reply, she glanced at the empty front-desk and scowled. The only people in the room were her and an unconcious Gourry. Scowling down at her companion, she had just been about to kick him awake when a small whimper coming from the broom closet caught her attention.

"Huh?" she asked curiously, slowly approaching the closet and gently pulling it open. Inside, along with the broom and dustpan, was the Inn owner. He was an older man who might have been a looker in his younger years, but now age and stress had worn him down. He looked at her with fear and he swallowed harshly, building his courage.

"Look now, I don't want no trouble. I don't care what you came here for or what you came to do, but I want you to leave me and my property alone. Understand?" although his lips had been quivering, his voice came out strong and with an edge. Lina leaned back a bit, not use to such aggression so early on. Usually that came, you know, _after_ she blew up something. Feeling her own temper rise, she bit it back as best she could and stared the man evenly in the eye.

"Look pops, I just wanna a couple of rooms, ok?" she said, growling out the last part as the man took a step back. He straightened quickly, and adjusted his necktie out of nervousness as he thought about whether he really wanted to risk bodily harm if he refused her. He eventually dropped his arms with a sigh and looked back at Lina.

"So long as you promise to leave the rooms well enough intact, you may stay as long as you like." he said as he moved around to the front desk, giving Lina and Gourry a wide birth as he did so. Once behind the counter he pulled out the date log which Lina had to sign. Muttering under her breath all the while, Lina strode over and wrote both her and her companion's name in the book, dropping the gold coins for the rooms right beside it. Taking the book and the money, the owner passed out two keys with the numbers 4 and 5 engraved on each one respectively. Taking the keys, she eyed the still jittery owner.

"Is this how everyone in this town acts? Jumping at every noise and shadow? Geez, and I thought this place was supposed to calm the nerves, not tighten them up." Lina smiled slightly, trying her best to be amusing. The owner stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, before slumping his shoulders and hanging his head.

"It wasn't always this bad, but......we've had a recent 'episode' within the town. Everyone is still feeling the affects, I suppose...." the owner said quietly, looking out the window towards the once-busy street. There were a few people milling about, but not nearly as many people as there were the same time last week. The people were more cautious now.

"'Episode', huh? Care to explain?" Lina asked, raising a brow, urging the man to continue. The owner gave her a hard look.

"Not my tale to tell;besides, I was down in the fields when it actually happened. I just heard the stories......and saw the _aftermath_..." he said quietly, staring at his hands."Enjoy your stay." the man said none too convincingly as he took the log book to the main office, shutting the door behind him. Lina's mouth was still open._'What's with everybody and leaving stories hanging?!'_ she thought, slapping her hand to her face. Glancing at her dead-to-the-world partner, she decided he could stay there while she went out to investigate.

This place had her curious now, and she was determined to figure out why.

* * *

After 45 minutes of straight frustration, Lina had had _enough_. Screaming to the heavens in the middle of town may have seemed a bit odd, but to Lina it was necessary. No one would tell her _anything!!_ They all ran when she came close, they wouldn't open their doors for her when she knocked, and the few she tried to threaten passed out on her. Needless to say, this was not a good way to start her evening. Growling in rage at the empty streets, she crossed her arms and stomped her foot, much like a child would when it couldn't get its way.

It was eating her up inside now, that cursed thing known as curiousity. There were so many 'whys'. Why was everyone so afraid? Why wouldn't anyone tell her anything? Why, why, why,_ why?!_ She stared evily at the cobblestone, as if it was the source of all her misfortune. The street even seemed to shudder a bit under the force of her gaze.

"......Are you going to glare at the road all day?" a familiar voice asked with a yawn. Glancing to her left at the sleepy swordsman, Lina refocused her glare on him.

"Took ya long enough to wake up! Geez...." she hissed, though the venom in her voice was forced. "I've been out here all this time looking for clues about this place, but I've got _nothing_. No story, no people, no evidence, no one who will even talk to me, and no more leads! I just can't believ-"

"Uh, Lina?" Gourry said, cutting her rant off. He stared at something further down on the road, but there was no trace of foolishness in his gaze. A serious-looking Gourry was _not_ a good thing. Pointing down towards the spot, he asked softly and clearly, "Is that a clue?"

Following his direction, Lina stared at the cobblestone. At first, she didn't see it. Frowning, she was about to ask him to explain. All she saw was the stone of which the road was made, the dirty morter holding it together, and the--

Her eyes widened. Dirty morter? Glancing around the road, everywhere else the morter between the stones was a chalky white color. Everywhere, but that _one_ area. Walking forward, Lina bent down on one knee to examine it closer. It was an area about 12 feet wide and 15 feet long that the black morter was really noticable, but there were splotches of it even further away than that. Gently, Lina put her index finger inbetween the cobblestone and pressed her finger into the morter. Bringing her hand up to her eyes for inspection, she stared at her fingertip. Although it looked black from farther away, the morter had left a dark red stain on her glove.

_'Blood. Dried blood'_ Lina concluded mentally, looking now at the cobblestones themselves. Compared to the others around the square, these stones where white and shiny, as if they had been washed recently. _'But the water couldn't wash it all away, could it?'_ she thought standing up, hiding her hands within her cape. Glancing around, she saw the tavern as well as several other major businesses. This was the heart of the village, as it were.

"Something big happened here, didn't it Lina?" Gourry inquired softly, staring at the small sorceress,"Do you think it had anything thing to do with what that bandit was talking about?"

Lina blinked as she stared at Gourry.

_**Please!! The robber had begged. My boss and fellow highwaymen were killed there just a few days ago! Some foreigner, from over the mountains, came into town that day and butchered them!!**_

Huh, funny, she hadn't even believed a word of what the thief had said. But now.......

Lina turned back to the dark morter, staring it down. For it to have been absorbed into the morter so thoroughly, how much blood must there have been? Whoever left this mark went into overkill, and had probably used magic to do so._'But what spell leaves such a mess behind?'_ her thought process begun, but was halted by the sudden sound of clapping coming from the right of her, towards the tavern. Glancing up quickly, she felt the words of a spell die on her lips as she saw just_ who_ was clapping.

"Bravo Lina! As quick as ever! I didn't even have to leave you any clues this time! You found this spot all on your own!" the voice was appraising as much as it was condescending, as its owner stepped out of the shadows of the bar. Indigo hair in a pageboy cut,a black cape, and the signature red-orbed staff, the _man_ gave them his normal closed-eyed smile."Hello!" he chirped.

_**"XELLOS?!"**_

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And I shall leave it there for now, my lovely readers. All in all, this chapter isn't too bad. What do you think?

Praise? Criticism? Let me know!

Reviews are insperation.

frosty


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, hello, and hello again!! Frosty is back again! The third chapter of Hourglass is up and running, and boy am I excitied! I don't believe I've ever been this happy to type in wordpad before. All well, anyway.......Let the story begin!

After the tricksy priest makes his debut, it's time for questions and even more secrets. As the story of Vrupur is told, the trio begins to grasp the horror it left in the minds of the townspeople. A peaceful day ruined forever by a mysterious girl cloaked in silver and black, who weilded a power that did nothing but utterly destroy the spirit of calm in Vrupur. Lina becomes intrigued, Gourry is confused, and Xellos......is Xellos.

**Reminder Note**: Just a quick little check-up to remind you that this is taking place _before_ the gang heads to the Temple of the Claire Bible;therefore, as far as they know, Xellos is still a human. An extremely odd human, but a human. And Martina is still around ready to invoke nonsense. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Slayers and I am not making profit from this in any way. This is merely for fun.

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_**Chapter Three: Blood-Splattered Tale**_

The western sky was awash in gold, navy, violet, and ruby. The bloody sun was setting over the mountains, bathing everything in distorted crimsons and yellows. The farmers hurried along with the dying light, putting away their tools and equipment until the dawn of the morrow. The village children, who had been running wild all day, slowly headed towards their homes, reluctant to stop playing for the night. Smoke rose from chimneys as wives and mothers prepared a hot dinner over a roaring fire for their tired families. Life was retiring for the evening, ready to embrace the cold of the night and the twinkling of the stars.

The last of the sun's rays gleamed in through one of the windows of the tavern, setting off the light of the already burning candles. The mess from earlier in the day had been cleaned up, the dishes washed, and the table repaired. It looked as though it had never even happened.....

The bar-keep had hoped it would have stayed that way, but all was lost when the devils came in again and sat down. Polishing a shot-glass from the farthest corner of the bar away from the terrible twosome, the bar-keep kept a wary eye on his remaining occupants. The red-head had come in with her blonde companion and another male about 15 minutes ago. They sat down at the table the girl and blonde man had broken earlier, ordering two ales and a glass of water. They all had been silent when he returned with their drinks, and they hadn't spoken a word since. To be honest, the silence scared the man more than the chaos this morning.

The bartender nearly dropped the glass he was holding when Lina slammed her mug on the table.

"Okay! A few questions, Xellos. (1.) What are you doing here? (2.) What do you know about what happened outside? (3.) Where's that stuck-up, green-haired leech at?!" at even the mention of Martina, Lina growled, scanning around the bar as if the former princess would pop out any minute. And when she did, Lina would be waiting, fireball in hand. Xellos sweat-dropped as Lina's half-mad eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Now, now, Lina. Miss Martina isn't that bad, really! She's in the city of Gasphon as we speak, shopping I believe. I told her I was going to check out a rumor about a problem in Vrupur, so she said she would wait until I returned. Something about not wanting to walk out this far into the country, I think she said. The reason why I'm here I just told you. There was mention around the city that some tragedy had occurred in the mountain village nearby, so I came to investigate. But of course, all the ruckus had gone by the time I got here. That is, until you two arrived! You sure know how to make a scene." The trickster priest smiled his usual I-have-a-secret sort of smile, eyes still closed in good humor.

"So, you don't know how that dried blood ended up all over the sidewalk, eh?" Lina said, disappointed. It was a sad day when even _Xellos_ didn't have a heads-up on the situation. The priest winced slightly, apparently not too comfortable with his own lack of information either.

"Well, obviously, a brutal fight is _how_ it ended up there. But between who and why, I haven't been able to discern. As I'm sure you've realized, the people of Vrupur do not give up details easily." the priest took a dainty sip from his glass, mulling over the events of the day. No, he had learned _somethings_, just nothing that really mattered. Xellos could be.....persuasive, when the need called for it, but this little town had even him stumped. They wouldn't divulge _anything_ willingly. This only caused his interest in this matter to greaten, as he was sure it had Lina's as well. If they could just find somebody....

"You folks be wanting to know that badly, huh?" all heads turned towards the raspy voice at the end of the bar. The bartender slowly put down the bottle of whiskey he had been drinking, and looked at the foreigners with glazed, gray eyes. "I been hearin' all day that ya'll have been pokin' 'round. What exactly you be wantin' to find?" His accent came out stronger after he had a few drinks in him. He was born and raised in Vrupur, but never in all his years here had he ever had a week such as this, and frankly, he was tired of it all. What was the point of keeping quiet now?

Lina leaned forward, propping her chin on her folded hands, elbows resting on the table. She smiled and stared at the half-drunk man,"I want to find out what everyone's so afraid of. When I was first coming into the valley, I ran into a bandit that was scared out of his mind because of this place. And then when I came into town, you and everyone else jump at shadows. I dunno, let's just say I'm.....curious." Xellos smile widened while Lina spoke, something unseen filtering across his jolly facade. It was gone as quick as it came as the bartender moved down the bar closer to them.

Coming to the edge of the bar, the old bar-keep rested his weight against the aging wood. Regarding the group with heavy-lidded eyes, he spoke quietly, "A bandit, you say? Huh, must be a straggler of Joey's Boys," the bartender concluded, taking a sip from the whiskey bottle nearest him.

"Joey's Boys?" Gourry asked, speaking for the first time since they entered the tavern. He had kinda been tuning the whole thing out, but that one phrase caught his attention. The bar-keep blinked at the swordsman, then nodded.

"Yeah, was a local gang of thugs an' robbers, lead by Joey Tison, the town bad-boy. They lived in camps in the woods outside town, and they'd come by here every week, if for nothing more than swearing an' drinking." The old man had stared down at the wooden floor during the whole speech, eyes far-away in a time long gone.

Lina frowned, not missing the fact that all the words were past tense. "Sir, what exactly happened out there, in the town's square? Did Joey's Boys do that? Is that why everyone's so afraid?" she asked, looking at how the bar-keep rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and weariness. The bar-keep ran a hand through his greasy hair before laying both palms flat on the surface of the bar. He stared out at some point in the wall, though he didn't actually see anything, not in the _here-and-now _sense anyway.

Taking a deep breath, he began, "Not three days ago, a stranger came through these parts," he returned his gaze to the seated trio, "A young woman, with hair of burnt gold and eyes of steel, dressed all in silver an' black." He put a bit more weight on his palms, leaning forward, "She spoke with a foreign tongue, the likes of which I've never heard....." his eyes glazed once more, staring at the entrance of the tavern, as if he could still see the ghostly specter of the woman from no where. He sighed and lowered his head, but continued, "It was a Friday;Joey's Boys came into town, like they always do, and began running amuck, like they always do...." His eyes were wide and wild when he looked up at them this time, the memory of the event playing out in his mind's eye. In a whispered voice, hoarse and raspy from more than just the whiskey, he spoke, "......only this time they picked a fight with the wrong person."

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_**The loud laughing echoed off the walls of the tavern as scoundrels, pirates, vagabonds and all the rest went out for their day of 'fun' in Vrupur. Swearing, drinking, fighting, and gambling had all the tables packed as the waiters ran around, trying to deliever drinks and not get slugged at the same time. The source of the raunchy laughter was big ol' Joey himself, leader of the gang of bandits known as Joey's Boys. The bar-keep rolled his eyes as he filled another two pints of ale for the bandit king himself. Laughing some more at the bartander's sour expression, Joey's eyes wandered to the end of the bar where the gold-haired foreigner was seated, drinking plain water and trying to make sense of the paper splayed out in front of her.**_

_**Smirking, Joey approached the new girl in town, leaning down to see over her shoulder, whispering something vulgar in her ear all the while. Her eyes narrowed and her lips formed a frown, but she made no movement, keeping her attention on the parchment before her. That was, until Joey put his big hand on her shoulder. The sudden 'THWACK' got the whole bar's attention, as Joey went down to the floor, nose and mouth spurting blood, while the foreigner snarled down at him, eyes blazing with rage. She marched out, paper in hand, to get away from all the racket, but Joey didn't give up that easy. Getting to his feet, he and his men pursued her outside the tavern.**_

_**The worst mistake, and the last.**_

_**They surrounded her, 15 against one, with Joey in the front, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. The girl scanned the area, eyes going wide when she realized there would be no escape. The bartender, as well as several other men of the town, stepped out into the square. They put up with Joey's ruckus, but they wouldn't let things get out of hand. Sadly, because of the thick bulk of the highwaymen, the girl could see nothing except that she was in trouble, BIG trouble, and not the villagers coming to her aid. Maybe, if she had seen them, things might have been different....**_

_**Joey's voice boomed out of the square, laughing as he glared at his newly acquired toy. The gang began to close in on the young girl, grinning all the while. The townsmen picked up their knives and scythes, getting in the way of the thugs until a noise stopped them dead in their tracks. A gasp of fear, and then a sort of crackling-crunching sound, that began to steadily grow in volume. Everyone turned their heads towards its source, a black-reddish spark of nothingness between the foreigner's out-stretched hands. As the blackness began to grow, so did a fear gnawing at the back of everyone's mind.**_

_**The villagers stood, paralyzed with the highwaymen, as the darkness grew large. Electricity hummed around them, the air became too thick to breathe, the hair on the back of their neck's stood on end, and their spines stiffened and tingled, growing worse with each passing moment. They all had seen magic before, but this was different. No words of power spilled from the girl's mouth;in fact, she looked almost as terrified as the rest of them. At last, the red-black vortex reached it's maxium length, it's crackling became a howling as its power surged.**_

_**A blade, it looked like a blade, measuring over six feet in length. The girl needed both hands to hold it, as the energy constantly churned and moved within its shape. But it was its color that was most striking. A deep, wine-colored red energy was the primary weapon, and as it widened, the red got lighter to a bright, blood red along the very edge, with black wisps of power swirling around it everywhere. Heat radiated from it, hotter than any fire on earth. Even the bar-keep, who stood a good 12 yards away, could feel its flames lick his face as though he were right beside it. The foreigner lifted it up high, it's massive power singing through the air, the scent of ozone and burning coming from it. **_

_**Nobody could tear their eyes away, no one could move as the blade slowly, oh so slowly, began to swing down....Joey and his boys didn't even have time to scream.**_

_**There was silence, a deafening silence until the blade completed its arc. No one actually heard it slice through flesh and bone, blood and tissue. They did hear the nasty 'SPLICK', the sound a liquid makes when it is thrown upon the ground. Then, after what seemed like hours in the time-frozen square, came a thud. Then another, and several more in succesion. But still the silence persisted, holding on to the moment for as long as it could.**_

_**Someone screamed.**_

_**Air came back into their lungs.**_

_**The cold wind pierced their skin through their sweat-drenched clothes.**_

_**And in the middle of the village square was....**_

_**"Oh no, no, no, nononononononono oh my GOD NO!!!!"**_

_**The bar-keep would never forget that scream;or forget why his throat was so raw afterwards.**_

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The candles flickered softly in the tavern, the only source of light now. There was a deep silence, which was ruined when the bartender took a large swig from the whiskey bottle. Gulping harshly, he breathed a sigh and looked back at the trio, currently lost in their own thoughts. He felt a little bit lighter now, after he had told the story. He still couldn't make heads or tails of just _why_ something like that had happened, in Vrupur of all places. Nothing _ever_ happened here, and then this whole thing comes along......_'And then they come along.'_ his thoughts finished as he regarded the newest newcomers one last time before standing straight. He mumbled at the empty whiskey bottles he had left in his wake, and began to stack them neatly under the bar. Glancing at the moon outside, it was apparent that he was supposed to be home hours ago. Sighing, he opened the door to the wine cellar to start replacing the booze for the next day.

"I need to get ready for mornin'. If ya'll want refills, just get 'em yourself." He said over his shoulder, but a voice stopped him before he could get more than his foot into the cellar. Looking back, he blinked at the red-headed girl who had called him.

"Where's........the girl now?" Lina asked quietly, her brows knotting together in concentration. It was no shock to her now just why the Vrupur residents were so scared of every little thing. That would be a pretty intense experience for anybody, even her. The bar-keep stared at her a moment longer before looking back into the cellar.

"During all the screaming and running afterwards, she must have just......slipped away," he swallowed hard. He had seen her, just before everything erupted into total chaos. He couldn't see her face because her loose, curly hair sheilded it from view, but he had stared all the same. Her now-empty hands hung at her sides, her shoulders were relaxed, and her jaw was closed but not tense. For having twelve, burnt-cut corpses at her feet, she looked normal as normal could be. And perhaps it was_ that_, which had terrified him the most. He stepped inside the cellar, closing the door behind him.

Lina stared intently at the closed door, practically burning a hole through it with her gaze alone. Xellos appeared to be staring at his folded hands across his lap, but anything with him was just a guess. Gourry glanced between the two, before finally deciding to break the tense atmosphere that had settled around the tavern.

"Well..............wow." Gourry said, blinking. He didn't know what else to say. What _could_ one say, after a story like the one they had just heard? Lina blinked and looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time this evening. Xellos chuckled and took a sip from his cup.

"'Wow', indeed, Gourry." the priest said dryly, "That was quite long-winded, wasn't it? He must have been stewing about the whole thing ever since it happened, but I wonder if it all can be taken at face value...." Xellos said, slanting one eye half-way open to regard the cellar door, before closing it again and drinking his water. Lina frowned slightly, but then slowly shook her head.

"No, I'm pretty sure he wasn't lying. It just didn't have an 'untrue' feel to it, if you know what I mean," the sorceress genius said, her mind still deeply thinking everything over. Earlier, when she had first realized just what the dark morter truly was, she had wondered what spell could have caused so much bloodshed. But now, given the description that the bar-keep had talked about...."I think she used the Ruby-Eyed Blade." Lina said softly.

Xellos looked up, giving Lina his undivided attention mixed in with slight surprise. He hadn't been aware she even knew of that spell....

"What's that? A sword?" Gourry asked, magic not being his forte' in the least. Lina sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Yes and no. It's a spell that calls upon the power of Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo to form a blade-like weapon out of his energy. I've never seen it performed, but supposedly, it's as strong as a Dragon Slave but designed more for close combat. There is nothing in the world it can't cut through," Lina paused, letting it sink into Gourry's thick skull. The swordsman nodded, understanding dawning on his features.

"Oh, I see............who's Ruby-Pie Shabu-Shabu?" he asked obliviously, while Xellos tried not to choke on his water. A loud 'THUNK' and a cry of pain echoed in the tavern a moment later. Gourry held his now-throbbing head, while Lina stood huffing and puffing in anger, as Xellos calmy pryed his staff from Lina's fingers.

"Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo, you moron!!! The Dark Lord of all dark lords!! Remember, the one who tried to kill us after he was reborn in Rezo the Red Priest!! Geez, you really are jellyfish-for-brains! How could you forget something as important as that?!" Lina heaved a huge, sad sigh as she fell back into her chair. Gourry mumbled an apology before slinking back into his own chair. Xellos snickered slightly, which earned him a glare from the hot-tempered girl.

"Oh well, look at the time! I really must catch up on my beauty rest," the trickster said as he stood up from his chair, "Though this little get-together proved to be quite informative. We'll have to do it again sometime!" He chirped happily, and had spun on his heel to leave when Lina snagged his arm.

"Hold on one minute, Xellos. Just what are you up to? As far as I can see, this has nothing to do with you, so why are you so interested all of sudden?" The sorceress asked, suspicion underlying her tone. Xellos never did anything without there being more to the agenda than what met the eye. He was surely up to _something_. Xellos looked hurt, and even gave a slight pout to complete the look.

"Why, Lina, your distrust wounds me. I simply came to satisfy my curiousity. If it was anything more than that, it would be..." his smile widened as he waggled a finger in front of her face, "A secret!" And with that, the trickster priest dashed out the door. Lina raced after him, right on his heels almost, but when she stepped outside, the mysterious priest was no where in sight.

"How does he do that?!" the red-head growled, while her blonde companion came up behind her. Glancing at the irate girl, he sighed before pulling her by the cape towards their Inn, ignoring the cursing and kicking all the while. To Gourry, they had had a full day and now it was time for rest. Lina stopped her struggling after a while and simply pouted, but then began to think again about the bar-keeper's tale. _'If it was the Ruby-Eye Blade, then those bandits never stood a chance in hell. It's not a spell for amatuers, that's for sure.'_ Lina sighed as she glanced up at the stars before Gourry pulled her inside the Inn. _'A girl in silver and black,'_ She thought, _'I wonder what she's like....'_

* * *

Somewhere, several miles away, a young, female traveler sneezed. Pulling her silver coat up to her tighter, she looked up at the sky from the tree she was in. _'Great, that's the 10th time I've sneezed tonight. I've officially caught a cold. Great, real friggin' great.'_

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And it is done!! I felt like this one took FOREVER to finish! But, you lovely reviewers are all worth it!

Reviews make the mind work faster.

frosty


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